by Dan Slater

New Zealand has been known for years now as a spectacular scenic shooting location for many high-budget Hollywood movies and global TV and streaming releases. However, in recent years that reputation has been evolving considerably as the NZ government works to transform the country into a full-service global production hub for modern cinema and streaming companies. 

While most around the world will still associate New Zealand and movies with the historic Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Trilogies by Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema, the country has also been home to many more high-production modern blockbusters in recent years including major projects from Disney, Netflix and Amazon.

Famous Films and Movies Have Been Attracted to the Cloud Land for Many Years

The beautiful and wild mountain landscapes of New Zealand were undoubtedly first brought to international attention on the silver screen by the multiple Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings series of the early 2000s.

That massive success led to the country remaining in the consciousness of global film producers for many years afterwards. Coupled with incentives from the NZ government and the existing expansive infrastructure required for the ambitious LotR trilogy made it easier for studios to pitch the expense of flying across the world.

Just a few of the 150-plus major series and motion pictures recorded in NZ since 2020 include:

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1)
  • Avatar
  • Mulan
  • Sweet Tooth
  • Time Bandits
  • The Minecraft Movie 

Today though, studios aren’t just buying a pretty backdrop. Increasingly NZ’s cinematic contract crews are some of the most experienced and efficient in the world, and top-class facilities in Auckland and Wellington, including Stone Street, Avalon and Lane Street.

The NZ Government is Still Trying to Attract More Attention

In recent years New Zealand’s Economic Growth Ministry has been overhauling the legal framework.

The New Zealand Screen Production Rebate (NZSPR) was reduced from $15 million requirement to a $4 million minimum, in order to encourage more mid-budget international film projects and series through tax breaks and rebates.

There are also additional tax breaks and funding for conducting Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) work on movies in the country, after filming has finished.

Another part of this project is improving New Zealand’s comprehensive selection of modern entertainment options, offering downtime activities to locals and visiting film crews alike. That has included expanding the country’s online gambling market into the regulated space – a change that is in the process of rolling out and will be completed soon. At least 15 locally-licensed but mostly international operators will be launching in the new market at some time in the next year.

Which is not to say that there weren’t and aren’t plenty of choices in the meantime. You only have to search for the best NZ casinos at a popular online resource like Casino.org to see the depth of the market already. Players use these sites to compare their options across bonuses, game selections and payment speeds, to ensure they’re getting the service they want – and it demonstrates the existing demand from locals in a competitive sector.

Interestingly, the NZ online gambling market is estimated to be worth some $1 billion a year, which is significantly less than the estimated $3 billion a year in economic value that the screen production business brings in. Which tells you just how valuable the screen sector is to the NZ economy.

Locally-Oriented and Homegrown Cinema Still Thrives

As well as bringing in international attention, the infrastructure and interest in cinema created by the thriving sector is also good for New Zealand’s local creative talent. For some time, there was an argument that Hollywood level wages drove up prices for camera people and other film crew, pressuring local producers out of the market.

The Government has consistently tried to avoid this, or at least mitigate its impact, by offering incentives to local studios as well. That has included expanded per-project tax rebates to more local studios and directors. Local directors and Māori filmmakers, who have benefitted from NZ’s world-class film infrastructure in recent years have included:

There has also been an attempt to increase the number of official co-productions, where local NZ studios partner with international production houses. These projects expand the critical and commercial audience for NZ films globally, while allowing NZ film makers to collaborate with and learn from international talent.

This has paid off commercially too. Although not on the level of Hollywood productions, 2025 musical-drama Tinā hit the top five highest grossing Kiwi-produced films of all time, and the most successful domestic release weekend for a local movie since 2002’s Whale Rider.

The success of Kiwi storytellers on the silver screen also boosts the country’s international reputation in a virtuous cycle, while ensuring the multibillion dollar business retains its local soul.

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